The invention relates to seating for vehicles, and in particular to selectively operable seating for vehicles in which part or parts of the seat form in one position a part of the contour or structure of the vehicle's body.
Selectively operable rear row seats are generally known in the industry. In the 1920's-1960's many vehicles were sold and included selectively operable rear row seats, sometimes referred to as rumble seats or jump seats. The seats were typically located in a trunk area and were designed to carry additional passengers when in an extended position, and to provide a conventional vehicle appearance when in a retracted position. When placed in a retracted position, these seats typically define, or allow placement of, a cover that defines a portion of the exterior vehicle surface. In this manner, a substantially continuous or uninterrupted exterior vehicle contour is be presented when the seat is in its retracted position. Examples of rumble seats can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,156,408; 1,591,153; 1,751,378; 1,796,081; 1,806,692; 1,816,937; 1,895,832; 2,043,804; 2,880,033; 3,323,828; 3,413,031; 4,103,961; 4,139,232; and 4,182,468. Various other convertible or moveable seat configurations can be found for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,046,175; 3,290,086; 4,699,418; 4,750,778; 5,533,774; 6,237,981; 6,899,367; and 6,899,378.
While these configurations have been suitable for their intended purpose in the past, it would be desirable to provide roll over protection for auxiliary seat occupants. Various retractable roll bar mechanisms are known in the industry, such as those illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,557,502 and 5,393,093. While these devices have been suitable for their intended purpose, they do not provide additional passenger capacity for the vehicle. It would be desirable to provide additional passenger capacity with roll over protection.